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Waipatiki, New Zealand

Stay in Napier: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Napier

All 12 on Napier's map

Watch this spot We email you when Waipatiki is worth the trip.

HawkesBay03LB
Hawke's Bay, the wider area. Photo: Lesbardd, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Waipatiki

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces SE (123°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (303°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 27). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 13°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May, June and August, with about 3 good days in 7; in January, November and December, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Napier. Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots.

Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

Save this trip A link to come back to, or to send to the group.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 29 h 10 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to NPE, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL).

    See flights MDW → NPE · Skyscanner from about £735 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 40 min from the airport to Waipatiki.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Nearest beds: Napier, 24 km (about 45 min by car)Ad

    No town with beds to book is nearer Waipatiki: plan on the drive each day you surf.

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay in Napier, 24 km away on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Napier · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Napier · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Waipatiki on Google Maps · Directions

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct343 ft6 smushy64kJ13°C
Mon 19Oct182 ft5 smushy20kJ14°C
Tue 20Oct121 ft5 smushy7kJ14°C
Wed 21Oct172 ft7 smushy26kJ14°C
Thu 22Oct141 ft9 shollow24kJ15°C
Fri 23Oct111 ft8 shollow12kJ15°C
Sat 24Oct81 ft11 shollow16kJ17°C
Sun 25Oct91 ft7 shollow9kJ14°C
Mon 26Oct5under 1 ft8 s3kJ21°C
Tue 27Oct71 ft3 smushy2kJ19°C
Wed 28Oct4under 1 ft2 s0kJ16°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to NPE, changing at DFW and AKL, then 40 min by road. About 29h 10 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to NPE, changing at DFW and AKL, then 40 min by road. About 29h 10 door to door

The trip from Napier, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,360–£2,625 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to NPE, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£735–£1,530
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£35–£60
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£225–£375
Food7 days eating out£230–£430
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£100–£165
Total£1,360–£2,625

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Napier

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Nearest beds: Napier, 24 km (about 45 min by car) · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.